Stefanik touts infrastructure funding in Plattsburgh stop

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro) capped off a week-long district tour with Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman at a town-owned water tank farm on Friday, July 6, 2018.

PLATTSBURGH | Infrastructure was a leading campaign issue for President Trump during his improbable ascension to the White House.

But 18 months after taking office, and with the midterm elections just four months away, a large-scale infrastructure plan remains elusive despite both Republicans and Democrats largely agreeing steep investments in the nation’s crumbling roads and bridges are needed.

“I know there’s not a large infrastructure package as the president has envisioned, but we have moved the ball forward on infrastructure funding,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro).

While she’s holding out hope for a possible large-scale bill in the next term, the lawmaker said Congress has helped to deliver results for communities, including reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration Act in April, which provided a five-year funding stream for small, rural airports like Plattsburgh International.

In the meantime, the lawmaker says a key approach is working with local officials to secure funding for individual projects in their communities.

The Town of Plattsburgh is the middle of a capital project designed to improve 20 water and wastewater sites in the next three years, including refurbishing water tanks and modernizing pump stations.

The total price tag is between $18 million and $24 million.

“Strategically, we’re trying to have somewhat of an aggressive plan,” said Town Councilwoman Barbara Hebert, who delivered comments in front of a tank with layers of paint flaking off in large sheathes.

The town is funding the project through various mechanisms, including bond anticipation notes and state and federal grants.

Stefanik helped secure $500,000 through the Northern Regional Border Commission, and said her office has provided support for over 250 grant applications for projects across New York's 21st Congressional District.

“My model is really working with our local electeds to find federal grant dollar opportunities,” Stefanik told reporters following a tour of the municipal tank farm on Kimberly Drive.

“I’ve been very active to try to increase those dollars to make it available for our communities because we’ve obviously a northern border region.”

Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman called the funds a “game changer.”

“We’ve literally been kicking the watering can down the road,” he said.

The Town of Plattsburgh also provides water to neighboring Beekmantown and Schuyler Falls, and town officials say shoring up their infrastructure is also essential for economic development and to accommodate the growth of regional powerhouses like NovaBus and Bombardier.

ONGOING NEED

Towns across the Adirondacks are engaged in projects to shore up ailing infrastructure projects, and the state announced last week $275 million in available funding opportunities for clean water infrastructure projects alone this year.

While the state has invested $32 million in regional municipal wastewater systems since 2015, the Adirondack Council has identified an additional $85 million in immediate needs in Adirondack communities for wastewater treatment and sanitary sewer costs alone, according to a recent report.

The City of Plattsburgh is not immune to those needs, but ongoing budget constraints paired with the elimination of the Engineering Department last summer has prompted city officials to reconfigure how Plattsburgh’s infrastructure is repaired and maintained.

The recent resignations of an engineering aide and engineering clerk have put further strain on operations as a new infrastructure division tasked with taking on the Engineering Department’s responsibilities continues to contend with aging infrastructure, looming large-scale projects like the Saranac River Trail expansion and Maine Road repairs, and other everyday duties.

Stefanik, who has been touring the district during the summer recess, said she hasn’t yet met with City of Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read to discuss infrastructure needs.

“I haven’t done in particular an infrastructure tour with Mayor Read, but certainly he and I have an open line of communication," Stefanik said. "We would also look for opportunities to partner with the city similar with what we do with other mayors in the district."

'WORKING HARD'

Cashman, a Democrat, said he’s had disagreements with Stefanik, but she’s proven to be an effective partner.

“We really work very hard in a bipartisan way to focus in on the things that matter to move our communities forward,” Cashman said.

The stop marked the final public event for Stefanik before she returns to Washington, D.C. following the holiday recess.

“These are the hottest Fourth of July parades I’ve ever walked in,” said Stefanik, citing events in Rouses Point, Essex and Ticonderoga.

Stefanik also visited the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge in Wilmington, the Hotel Saranac in Saranac Lake and SUNY Plattsburgh, where she visited federally-funded TRIO programs.

Critics contend the lawmaker doesn’t visit the district frequently enough.

"It's just false,” Stefanik said. “My constituents know how hard I work representing this district.”